Comments on: Santa Monica Critical Mass RANT

By: ezra

ezra — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:39:06 +0000

Ford Explorer SUV… SMCM 5th anniversary in 4 hours, hope the rain dies down.

By: Safe Cyclist

Safe Cyclist — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:38:47 +0000

The city of Newport Beach and NBPD is a similar scenario to Santa Monica and the SMPD pursuing bicyclists. Bicycles making left-turns on red arrows with no traffic are the strongest revenue generator with the little effort because the NBPD earns a pseudo-vehicle citation. The state of California has Law AB-1581 for the first placement or replacement of traffic-activated signals to detect bicyclists. But I have only found one left-turn signal in Newport that detects bicycles, and it is using older technology rather than the new embedded wire loops and quadruples. For many years, a left-turn traffic signal to a nature preserve used by hundreds of bicyclists on weekends detected bicycles upon entering the left lane. Newport Beach Principal Civil Engineer Tony Brine and Traffic Engineer George Bernard sent me an e-mail that the traffic signal to a heavily ridden bicycling preserve had been set back to not detect bicycles. A concern could be safety or perhaps another revenue opportunity with the preserve being nearby the police headquarters. Officer David Darling chased my dilapidated mountain bike on a Christmas weekend with no traffic and a green through light. He apparently chases so many bicycles that his procedure is decisively efficient. His opening question was whether I owned a car despite my being middle-aged. He never told me what the violation was. He put his head down to my bicycle seat tool-bag as if to search for a driver’s license. He interrogated why I could not remember my car’s license plate number. He was going for the vehicle citation to a bicyclist. He encircled “medium traffic” on the ticket possibly because his motorcycle qualified to be mid-heavy when there is no traffic. Despite California Law AB-1581 for bicycle signal detection, Sergeant Mike James told me in a telephone call that motorcycle police enforce state laws and chase bicyclists on left-turn arrows regardless of signal detection, no traffic, and a green through light. Traffic Services Commander Lieutenant Steve Shulman sent me a letter advocating that bicycles should dismount to use crosswalks after testing the traffic signal. In a telephone call with Lt. Shulman, he asked me where I lived. He laughed at my reply, probably because I did not appear to be an upscale Newport land baron. I have tried his method of using crosswalks, but drivers are making gestures of disapproval. And Newport is a family and fitness-oriented city with car drivers being bicycle-friendly. Mayor Pro Tem Ed Selich who drives a motorcycle agreed that Newport signals are not detecting two-wheelers, but he ignored involvement. The city continues the business model for generating revenue from bicycle citations.

By: Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:00:53 +0000

I’m glad that you stay behind like that. I think I worry most that people feel abandoned. I’d be mad as hell if I got a ticket and no one stayed behind.

By: Damien Newton

Damien Newton — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:54:33 +0000

I still find it amazing that the SMPD wastes everyone’s time with this. When I do SMCM, I usually stick towards the back and wait near people as they get tickets so they don’t feel isolated when they’re being harassed for no reason by Santa Monica’s Finest.

My favorite ticket from last month was a young woman, who must have been younger than 18, who was ticketed for not having a helmet on. The officer took over 20 minutes to write the ticket, and while he was stalling (and checking out her bike for any other minor infraction) I observed cars double parking in front of the restaurant less than 10 feet from where the ticket was being handed out with no movement from the police.

Restaurant customers asked me what was going on as they left the restaurant and we had a variation of this conversation everytime.

Patron: What’s going on?
Me: The police are harassing a cyclist?
Patron: Why? Shouldn’t they be encouraging people to ride bikes?
Me: Santa Monica only wants people to bike if they are well to do and dress a certain way.

And what did the young lady that was ticketed learn? She learned that there is a big difference between the law and justice.

By: Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:49:05 +0000

@Kryxtanicole

LAist editor Zach Behrens did SMCM a mitzvah by requesting the information under the Freedom of Information Act:

http://laist.com/2008/09/05/smpd_vs_critical_mass.php

@E-Rock

I think it’s a Ford = I think you’re right.

By: Kryxtanicole

Kryxtanicole — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:50:09 +0000

Being fairly new, I really appreciate how you’ve defined the evolution of SMCM. Thanx!

Also, how did you come up with the number of the SMPD spending $3000 a month?

By: E-Rock

E-Rock — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:21:00 +0000

That SUV is definitely a Ford (or a Chevy).

By: Mama said there’d be days like this, too. « BikingInLA

Mama said there’d be days like this, too. « BikingInLA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:01:50 +0000

[...] tells the story of S.M.P.D.’s hassling of Critical Mass riders, and offer’s his heartfelt opinion at the end. (Welcome back, dude – we’ve missed you.) Bike [...]